An ex-con accused of stealing a bottle of premium tequila from Como’s restaurant in Ferndale and downing a few gulps before police caught him faces up to four years in prison if convicted.

Shamis Sims, 34, of Oak Park, had been out of prison for less than two weeks when he was arrested about 10:30 a.m. July 8, according to Michigan Department of Corrections records.

“He only got a few gulps out of the bottle,” said Ferndale Police Lt. William Wilson. “He was walking and drinking from the bottle in the Ferndale Public Library parking lot near City Hall. We found him right away.”

Sims was in Ferndale 43rd District Court on Thursday for a preliminary examination. District Judge Joseph Longo ordered Sims to stand trial In Oakland County Circuit Court on a felony charge of larceny in a building.

Advertisement

Police said Sims walked into the restaurant, went behind the bar and grabbed a large, 1.75-liter bottle of Patron tequila worth about $75.

Employees at Como’s called police right after they saw him grab the bottle of tequila, police said.

Sims was convicted of first-degree home invasion in Oakland County in 2008. He was sentenced to serve from 2 to 20 years and was paroled from prison June 25.

Conditions of his parole prohibit him from using alcohol or other intoxicants.

He remains jailed on $5,000 cash bond on the Ferndale larceny charge. Sims was also wanted for a parole violation at the time of his arrest, police said.